Sal Kishman at the All-Star Game

Tonight the 80th All-Star Game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The first time St. Louis hosted an All-Star Game was on July 10, 1940. Played at Sportsman’s Park, it was Major League Baseball’s eighth midsummer classic. Sal Kishman, one of the characters in The All-American King, homered in the seventh inning of that contest to help the National League claim its third ever All-Star victory.

Born on September 9, 1917, in Des Moines, Iowa, Sal Kishman led his American Legion baseball team to the 1934 state title. After graduating from Eastridge High, Kishman starred for the minor league Des Moines Demons in 1936 and 1937. The following year, he broke into the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies. Kishman, who batted left and threw right, became a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love. The right fielder was one of the top sluggers in the National League until the Marines drafted him before the 1943 season.